Required Visa (and possible sponsors?) for a foreign practical physical therapy student internship in the U.S.

[keffing 0]

Good morning,

after a very long research and e-mailed pretty much everybody with little results and still a lot of doubts, hope you can clarify the scenario.

I'm an European student currently studying Physical Therapy at the University (a bachelor degree that lasts 4 years) - I just completed the 1st academic year with the highest grade point average of my course, the 2nd year just started.

I already stayed in the U.S. for about 1 year and a half in total in the period 2009-2012 because I was an orthopedic patient (that's why I have a B1/B2 VISA that expires on Jan, 2020); I know very well the U.S. physical therapy approach and I do believe that having the chance to spend in U.S. top rated PT facilities one or more rotations as PT student would have an high impact on my training, so I'm trying to schedule a foreign physical therapy student internship in the U.S.

My corse of study will include 4 different periods of rotation/internship in the year 2016 and 2017 (each one of them won't last over 2-3 months, the target is to spend 1 of them in the U.S., possibly in 2 different facilities as the internship periods are furtherly divided in relation to the PT field).

The U.S. embassy in my country e-mailed me back that my B1/B2 VISA doesn't work for this travel purpouse (they said I could come with this Visa type for an observational internship only, but that's not the target as my internship are scheduled to be practical, that means that I could "touch" the patient in case) and that I will most probably need an H, L or J-1 Visa - they also mentioned that I need a sponsor that could be a designated one or the company that host my internship itself.

About the designated sponsors: the embassy wrote me to contact whatever one listed here (http://j1visa.state.gov/participants/how-to-apply/sponsor-search/?program=Intern&state=&sort=state&order=asc - I wasn't told what specific J-1 program could fit for me in case, so I figured out myself that it could have been the "Intern" one - but I'm not sure about that); I e-mailed ALL of them, but I always got the very same answer: they don't provide sponsorship for these kind of internships, a couple of them even aswered me back what I noticed myself in the meantime, so linking the J-1 official webpage (http://j1visa.state.gov/programs/intern/) stating that the J-1 Visa isn't the correct one for whatsoever medical internship (physicians, physical therapists, nurses, etc.) because is clearly indicated, under the "Limitations/Exceptions", that: "Interns cannot work in positions that require or involve childcare or elder care or in any kind of position that involves medical patient care or contact." (my internships are practical/with patients, so I don't see how a J-1 Visa Intern could fit).

About the company that should sponsor me: after such a disappointing response from the designated sponsors, I e-mailed back the embassy that in a 2nd e-mail told me to ask to the internship hosting company about all the indications about the Visa, to sponsor my internship and that they should have then applied for the authorization to the U.S. immigrant authorities. So I e-mailed them (I found 2 very famous/top ranked U.S. rehabilitation hospitals/PT clinics that agreed via e-mail to host my internships in the year 2017 already - both are famous and internationally well known - surely they would have known about the whole process, I thought at this point).

But both of them answered back that they do not sponsor any student and that the Visa is a thing I should take care myself directly with the U.S. embassy in my country to then go there for the internships (exactly the opposite I was told by the embassy, as written above).

So, the more I ask around even to official organizations, the more I get conflicting responses.

I'd say that it's impossible that a proper Visa doesn't exist for foreign PTs students in order to come in the U.S. with this purpouse - in fact the U.S. embassy never replied that I can't do such thing itself; looks like nobody actually knows what's the right Visa I should apply for.

J-1, H-3, another one?

So, I'm kind in a quandary here: I've no definitive answers about what type of Visa I should actually apply for in order to come in the U.S. for a foreign physical therapy student practical internship, if I need a sponsor or not, in case who is designated by the U.S. government to actually be the sponsor for a foreign PT student practical physical therapy internship, who has to take care of the whole process and how it works.

I desperately need clear informations in order to be sure I can actually schedule these 2 internships (they would be in sequence in order to come in the U.S. once for both of them alltogether) in the future, obviously I'll have to be insured plus my university and the hospital/PT facility will sign a contract way before my trip that make everything official and that follows the U.S. rules/laws (both the university and the facilities knows that, one of them even e-mailed a contract draft to my university already).

May you please help me out with this? I'm pretty frustrated...

Thank you in advance - have a great day

[jan22 3,056]

There aren't always visas to do what people want to do. Sorry.

[keffing 0]

Actually looks like the right Visa is the H-3.

Now the problem is that looks like that the US clinics have to sponsor me too, so I need to find a list of the PT clinics that are open to sponsor foreign students PT internships.

I've contacted the very best PT hospitals & clinics in the US in all the PT fields in the last 6 months and not a single one said a word about the sponsorship thing (I didn't know about it at the time, I just though another Visa would have been required, but ignoring about sponsor).

When I asked the 2 facilities that agreed via e-mail to host my internships (because the embassy told me they should have sponsored me after they agreed on having me in their structure), they said they're more than happy to host my internship but they don't sponsor students (I'm starting to think they don't know how the process work...).

Anyway, if it's the hosting facility that should sponsor me, anyone knows how/where can I find a list of U.S. PT facilities that actually do sponsor foreign students internships?

Thank you

Ps: jan22, how could you say that in such an hurried way? It came out the Visa is the H-3...so it does exist a proper Visa

Edited September 9, 2014 by keffing

[canadian_wife 1,822]

You are probably going to have to do all the grunt work of simply finding PT facilities and calling to ask about sponsorship - aside from google, I do not know where to search for PT facilities that sponsor, as in there is unlikely a set database.

Good luck

[Boiler 45,505]

Not so sure that H3 would be appropriate.

You need a Facility that does sponsor visa's, if they have done it before they will know what category would be appropriate.

[keffing 0]

I was told the H-3 Visa is the appropriate (not the J-1 absolutely) by an immigration law firm in the U.S. via e-mail

[Boiler 45,505]

Then you just need someone to Petition you.

[jan22 3,056]

Ps: jan22, how could you say that in such an hurried way? It came out the Visa is the H-3...so it does exist a proper Visa

I didn't say it in a hurried way -- I said it after carefully reading your original post and thinking about the various US visa categories available. Just because one law firm told you after an e-mail "consultation" that an H3 visa was the right category for you does not make that a fact. They may or may not be completely familiar with all of the requirements of an H3 visa and would discover that with more research.

While the H3 can be used for a medical internship, it is only for medical school students (i.e., those pursuing an M.D.). There is also a provision for a fully licensed nurse to pursue specific training. For any training other than graduate medical education or training, there is one condition of the H3 that I think makes it difficult for it to be the right visa for you. The training you are seeking in the U.S. cannot be available in your own country. Clearly, physical therapy training is available in your home country, since you are enrolled in it (unless I misunderstood your post).

As I understood your post, you want to do an internship/training in the U.S. because you like the specific approach to therapy that is used in the U.S., not because you can't be trained in your country. That would likely make it an uphill battle to convince USCIS that an H3 is appropriate for you. Given that most facilities that accept physical therapy interns in the U.S. have little trouble finding interns to fill their slots, it is unlikely -- IMO, of course -- that one would be willing to hire the lawyers, pay all the fees, and fight the battle with USCUS to get the petition approved for you.

All of these points led me to make the statement that there isn't always a visa available for what people want to do -- it wasn't a hurried judgment to cut you off, it was a reasoned statement. I could, of course, be wrong and there is an organization out there willing to try this on your behalf. I wish you luck in finding them.

Edited September 10, 2014 by jan22

[keffing 0]

@jan22: I'm sorry for my past reply, looks like that was the one written in an hurried way - my bad.

The thing is, excluding the H-3 Visa indicated by the immigration law firm (I'm following your argumentation here - I've to say that I noticed myself the condition that the internships in the U.S. has to be be not available in my country, and this is not the case as it's available, it's just that I think it would be better if spent one of them in the U.S. - by the way please note I'm from Italy but I study in Switzerland), that even the J-1 isn't an option (looks pretty clear even if the embassy wrote me it was probably the right one, just reading the Limitations/Exceptions: "Interns cannot work in positions that require or involve childcare or elder care or in any kind of position that involves medical patient care or contact.").

Is it actually possible that a Visa for my travel purpouse doesn't exist?

Sounds impossible to me, it makes no sense considering that both (law firm and the US embassy) never said such thing and added that I need a sponsor - so if you get a sponsor there's a Visa then...that's at least what I got.

What do you say and what would you do if you were me?

Thank you, bye

[jan22 3,056]

No problem -- I didn't give you all the thought behind it, so you had no way of knowing it wasn't just an offhand remark.

I really can't, at least right now, think of any visa category that would let you do what you want. It's possible that the law firm and/or the Embassy heard the term "intern" and responded thinking about either a medical student internship or a business/corporate internship (and, as you already know, those don't allow patient care). Sorry -- hope you find some intern experiences that you will be happy with -- or someone with more knowledge that might find a way to do it under US visa law.

[student12345 0]

Hi! I am a first year physiotherapy student and I also want to do my internship in US. I am in a very similar situation as @keffing was. Did anyone manage to find a way out and get the visa?

Any tips and toughts are usefull!

 

 

Thanks!